County makes it easier to keep horses

County supervisors on Wednesday eased the reins on horse owners and boarding stables in the unincorporated urban area, approving an updated equine ordinance that creates a tiered permitting system and lessens costs.

In the works for two years, the ordinance eliminates the need to obtain a major-use permit for small stables. Only operations with more than 100 horses spread over 10 acres or more are now required to have that permit.

“This really addresses all of our needs,” said Michellcq Anne Campbell, president of the San Diego County Equestrian Foundation, which lobbied for the changes.

The county began working to revise the decades-old ordinance in response to complaints its regulations were stifling the industry and leaving many stable owners out of compliance.

The new system requires no permits or fees for stables of three horses or fewer. A second tier allows up to 50 horses on at least 10 open acres and a fee of $1,023.

A relatively simple administrative permit is required for 50 to 100 horses at a cost of about $10,000. A major-use permit is required for more than 100 horses with the cost to get that approval starting at about $15,000.

“In the end, these changes equate to a streamlined process, which will lower costs while still ensuring that any new or expanded stable will not adversely impact the surrounding properties,” said East County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “It also creates another element in our agritourism economy.”

Community planning groups throughout the county have endorsed the new ordinance, which does not affect stables in place before the late 1970s. Those were “grandfathered” in when the original equine ordinance was adopted. It also doesn’t apply to far backcountry expanses where zoning regulations differ from the urbanized area and no permits are required.